Spud-operating mechanism.



c. B'. KING & H. T. GRACELY.

spun OPERATING MEcHANlsm. APPucA'rioN m50 1AN.2.1912,

Patented Dec. 12,1916'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

6W/unam@ Harvey 775W@ C. B. KING & H. T. GRACELY.

SPUD OPERATING MECHANLSNI.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Win17 c'. B.' KING & H. T. GRACELY. SPUD-,OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.2, 1912.

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CHARLES IB. KING AND HARVEY T. GRACELY,

OF MARION, OHIO, ASSIGNORS T THE MARION STEAM SHOVEL GOMPAN Y, OF MARION, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SPUD-OPERATING MECHAN ISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES B. KING and HARVEY i T. GRACELY, citizens of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Marion and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spud-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to spud-operating mechanism and the object of the invention is to provide power-operated mechanism for positively moving the movable member of a two part spud into and out of its operative position.

To this end it is a further object of the invention to provide the two parts of the spud with coperating devices for imparting movement in either direction to the movable member of the spud; and further, to provide means operable from the deck of the machine for controlling the operation of these actuating devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for operating the movable member of the spud from power mechanism mounted upon the deck of the machine and to provide such devices having a suiicient degree of flexibility to prevent their interfering in any way with the movement of the spud as a whole and to prevent this movement of the spud from interfering with the operation of these devices.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a machine equipped with the invention and showing the spuds and their operating devices in elevation; Fig. 2 is a view of the upper side of a spud equipped with the mechanism shown Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the locking device for the spud; Fig. 4 is a plan view o f a portion of the deck of the dredge showing the cable-operating devices; Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form of the invention employing a shaft connection between the engine and the spud-actuating devices; and Fig. 6 is a view of another modification of the invention showing a motor mounted directly upon the spud and controlled from the deck of the machine.

The invention in its broader aspects may be carried out in various ways and we have illustrated in the present drawings several methods of operating the spud-actuating devices. Each form of mechanism here shown has its advantages, some being preferable under certain conditions and others being preferable under other conditions. Probably the one which would meet favor with the greatest number of users of dredges, shovels and other machines to which the invention is applicable is that illustrated in Figs. l to t inclusive in which the power is transmitted from the engine to the spudactuating devices by means of cables. O11 the other hand where electric power is available that form of the device illustrated in Fig. 6 is a very desirable one. If electric power is not available motors of other kinds can be mounted on the Spud but in ordinary use this mechanism would be exposed to the weather unless housed and it would be a rather diiicult matter to provide a practical housing for it. In each of these forms we have illustrated the invention as applied to a dredge comprising a hull l on the deck of 4which is mounted an A-frame 2 to which the spuds, which are indicated as a whole by tlie reference numeral 3, are attached. It will be understood, however, that the dredge is merel used for the purpose of illustration and t at the invention may be used in connection with machines of other kinds and the spuds may be attached thereto at other points. In the form here shown the upper end of each spud, 3, is pivotally connected to the A-frame near the top thereof and each spud comprises two parts, one of which is movable longitudinally to the other, thereby enabling the lower part of the spud to be moved into and out of engagement with the ground at the side of the machine and enabling the length of the spud to be readily shortened or lengthened as conditions may require.

The particular construction of the spud itself is not a part of the present invention, this being fully shown and described in Patent No.- 918,864, granted April 20, 1909, to King, Harding and Barnhart and assigned to The Marion Steam Shovel Company, the assignee of the present invention.

This spud, as above stated, comprises two parts and in the particular form here shown the upper portion, which is indicated at 4, is hollow and the lower portion, 5, is slidably mounted within the hollow upper portion and is provided on one edge, preferably its upper edge, with a rack 6. The upper tubular portion t ofthe spud is provided .-.onthat side adjacent to the rack 6 with an opening f7 through which the teeth of a pinion 8 extend and engage the rack 6. The pinion 8 is carried by a short shaft 9 journaled on Ythe upper portion of the spud.

with 'a drinn or drums, about which the cable may extend. In order that the mechanism may be better balanced we prefer to use two drums 10 which are connected to the opposite ends of the shaft 9. On each of these drums is wound a cable 11, the cables of the two drums being wound in opposite directions so that when 'one is wound upon its drum the other will be iinwound from its drum. These cables extend upward along the spud and about suitable guides or sheaves 12 ournaled at the upper end 4thereof on an axis coincident with the pivotal center of the spuds. From -these sheaves the cables extend downward about guides or sheaves 13 mounted on a suitable bracket 14 on the deck of the machine7 thence rearward and about a suitable poweroperated drum 15. Preferably both cables are woundon the same drum7 one passing above the drum andthe other beneath it so that the rotation of the drum in either direction will cause one cable to be wound thereon and the other to be unwound therefrom. This drum may be of an ordinary 'character and may be operated from a steam engine 16 of the type ordinarily employed for actuating the cable drums on a machine of this character. Tf desired the usual brake band may be employed in connection with the drum to lock the same against movement and by thus locking the drum and cables against movement to lock the two parts of the spu'd against relative movement.

In the present instance' the engine is connected with the drinn through a countershaft 1 7 and the usual band brake mechanisin '18 is applied to the end of this shaft.

In the operation of the device the engine is operated to rotate the drum in the desired direction vand this rotation yof the drum winds up one cable 11 and unwinds the other, thereby unwinding one of the cables from the corresponding cable drumv 10 on Vthe spud and winding the other cable on Vits drum 10. This movement of the cable rotates the shaft 9 and the pinion 8 to move fl? the lower part of the spud with relation to the upper part of the spud. Obviously, the Spud can be moved in either direction and can thus be positively thrust into engagement with the ground quickly and at the desired point without dependence upon gravity and can be quickly and easily hoisted out of engagement with the ground when it is desired to shift the machine or alter the position of the spud. While the band brake which is connected with the hoisting drum will serve to hold the two parts of the spud in their adjusted positions it is sometimes desirable to provide a more positive lock and where this is desired a toothed plate 19 may be in a suitable supporting frame 20 on the. upper member 4L of the spud and moved into and out of engagement with the teeth of the iack G by means of an aiin 21 connected with a shaft 22 and carrying a cam 5 23 which operates in an opening in the plate 19 to move the latter toward or away from the rack 6, as fully shown and described in the patent above referred to. The lock may be moved into and retained in its operative position by means of a weight 2fl mounted on the arm 21 and may be moved into its inoperative position by means of a line 25 connected with the end of the arm 21 and extending about suitable guides to a point above the deck where it can be readily grasped by the operator.

In Fig. 5 ofthe drawings the actuating mechanism is substantially the same as that above described but in place of the cables slidably mounted n we have substituted an extensible shaft l which is connected at one end with the engine and at the other end with the shaft carrying the pinion on the spud. In this` construction the shaft 9 is provided with a worm wheel 2G and a worm 27 is carried by a short shaft 2S journaled in suitable bearings 29. The short shaft 2S is connected by means of a universal joint with an extensible or telescoping shaft 31, the opposite end of which is connected by a second universal joint 32 with a short shaft 3?) jour- 'naled in fixed bearings and having mounted thereon a bevel pinion 34 which meshes with a bevel gear 35 carried by a shaft 8G of the engine 87. In the present instance the engine is mounted on top of the deck house and the reversing lever 3S extends downward into a position in which it can be grasped by the operator when standing on the deck. Tt will be apparent that by actuating the lever 38 to rever-se the engine the shaft 31 may be rotated in either direction and the lower portion 5 of the spud moved up or down at will.

In Fig, 6 we have shown a further modification of the invention. .ln this form the power mechanism which drives the spud actuating devices is mounted directly upon the Spud. The Spud-actuating devices are l 'l O driven by the worm and worm wheel 27 and 26, as described in connection with that form of the device shown in Fig. 5, but instead of running the shaft over to lthe body of the machine a motor is mounted upon the spud itself and means are provided for controlling the operation ofthe motor from the deck of the housing. The most desirable type of motor for this purpose is an electric motor and we have here illustrated a motor 39 as connected with the end of the shaft 28 carrying the worm 27. The electrical conductors 40 lead from the motor upward along the spud to a point near the pivotal center thereof and thence downward to the deck house where a suitable switch 4l is provided, by means of which the motor can be controlled. This switch is preferably a three-way switch and the connection between the switch is a three line connection, thereby enabling the direction of rotation of the motor shaft'to be reversed by manipulating the switch al. While an electric motor is preferable owing to the simplicity and ease of conveying` the power thereto it will be obvious that motors of other kinds may be mounted upon the spud and controlled from the deck of the machine or some other remote point for actuating the movable member of the spud. lt will also be obvious that gearing of any kind may be substituted for the worm and worm wheel gearing.

Further it will be apparent that the mechanism may be altered and the arrangement changed in various ways without departing from the spirit of our invention and we wish it to be understood that the several forms of the device here illustrated are shown and described for the purpose of illustration only and that we do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. Further, it will be understood that the term deck as used in the specification and claims is intended to include any operating platform forming a part of or connected with any excavating machine or other device with which the spuds may be employed.

Having thus fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. An excavating machine comprising a platform, a frame extending above said platform, a spud comprising two overlapping members, the upper end of one of said members being connected at its upper end with said frame and held against lengthwise movement, and the lower member of said spud being slidably mounted on said upper member, two drums mounted on said upper member, near the lower end thereof and connected one to the other, a connection between said drums and the slidable member of said spud to cause said slidable member to be moved by the rotation of said drums, cables wound in opposite directions about the respective drums, and means mounted on said platform for actuating said cables to rotate said drums in either direction.

2. An excavating machine comprising a platform, a frame extending above said platform, a spud comprising two overlapping members, the upper end of one of said members being pivotally connected at its upper end to said frame and held against lengthwise movement, and the lower member of said spud being slidably mounted on said upper member, two drums mounted on said upper member, near the lower end thereof and connected one to the other, a connection between said drums and the slidable member of said spud to cause said slidable member to be moved by the rotation of said drums, guides carried by said frame near the point of connection between the same and said spud, cables having their adjacent ends secured to and wound in opposite directions about the respective drums, said cables extending lengthwise of said spud, about the respective guides and thence downward to said platform, and devices mounted on said platform for actuating said cables to rotate said drums in either direction.

3. In an excavating machine, a spud comprising two overlapping members, the lower member being slidably mounted on the upper member and having a. toothed portion, said upper member being connected at its upper end with a part of said machine, a shaft journaled on the lower portion of said upper member of said spud, a pinion mounted on said shaft and meshing with the toothed portion of the lower member of said spud, a drum secured to said shaft at each end thereof, cables wound about said drums in opposite directions, and means for actuating said cables.

4. A n excavating machine comprising a platform, a frame extending above said platform, a spud comprising two overlapping members, the upper end of one of said members being connected at its upper end with said frame and held against lengthwise movement and the lower member of said spud being slidably mounted on said upper member, a drum mounted on each side of said upper member near the lower end 4thereof and connected one to the other, a connection between said drums and the slidable member of said spud to cause said slidable member to be moved by the rotation of said drums, cables wound in opposite directions about the respective drums, and means mounted on said platform for actuating said cables to rotate said drums in either direction.

5. An excavating machine comprising a upper member, a drum mounted on each side of said upper member near the lower end thereof and connected one to the other, a

connection between. said drums and the slidable member of said spud'to cause said slidable member to be moved bythe rotation of said drums,guides carried by said frame near the point of connection. between the same; andvsaid Spud, cables having their adjacent ends secured to and wound in oppolsite directions about the respective drums,

said cablesV extending lengthwise of said spud about the respective guides and hence Y downward toV said platform, and devices Y mounted on said platform for actuating said cables to rotate said drums in either direction. l a

6. ln an excavating machine, a spud com- Yprising two overlapping members, the lower member being slidably mounted on the upper member and having a toothed portion, said upper member being pivotally connected at its upper end with a part of said 1na-. chine, a shaft journaled transversely on the lower portion of thevupper member of said Spud, a pinion mounted on said shaft and Jmeshing with the toothed portion of the CHARLES B. KING. HARVEY T. GRACELY. Witnesses:

W. L. SLAGK, H. H. CoNNoLLY.

Y Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents 'eahfby addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

VWashington, D. G. Y 

